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The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers by Darren Rowse and Glenn Murray

Overview

The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers is a short ebook aimed at helping bloggers improve their writing style. It covers everything from strategic considerations (like calls to action) to the technical nitty-gritty (with clear examples of correct grammar).

The price

$29.95

What’s included

A 100-page ebook, with a printable scorecard which you can use to rate each of your posts. (You could also turn it into a fun party game and rate other people’s posts, though that might leave you without many friends…)

Good stuff

Quick Read Focused on Action

One of my fears when buying ebooks is that I’ll have to wade through tons of information, and I’ll struggle to apply it to me. Happily, that’s absolutely not the case here. Glenn gives concrete action points in an easily-digested format.

The two-page scorecard is a brilliant idea, because it makes it really easy to refer back to the material while writing. I don’t want to trawl through an ebook when I’m in the middle of a post – but glancing at a quick list of specific points is a great way to make sure I’m on target.

Comprehensive: Useful for Beginners and Experienced Writers

I bought the Copywriting Scorecard partly to review it and partly because I was curious. I wasn’t sure how much I’d gain. I was afraid that I wouldn’t learn anything new: after all, I’ve been an avid Copyblogger reader for a couple of years and I’ve got a lot of writing and blogging experience under my belt.

I was pleasantly surprised to pick up several new tips, including some writing tricks I didn’t know about (like using “Yes” questions). The short, easy to grasp sections on SEO also made me feel more confident about that aspect of blog-writing.

While reading, though, I was struck by how useful this book would be for many newer writers in the blogosphere. I see basic grammatical mistakes every day, and I also see posts which are fundamentally sound but poorly structured or formatted. It’s so easy to lose attention online, and this ebook would be invaluable to bloggers who are struggling to build an audience.

Easy to Find What You Need

This is the first ebook I’ve ever bought which has an index – which makes it really easy to look for information on a specific topic. (My one slight disappointment is that the entries in the index aren’t hyperlinks, so I can’t click them to jump straight to the relevant page.)

The “Scorecard” has page references so that if you’re stuck or confused on any point, you can just go straight to the appropriate page for more information.

Bad stuff

There’s not much to say here. For the price point, I thought this was a nice, value product. I could’ve personally managed with a bit less of the introductory material, but I found sections like “Know Your Objectives” a useful reminder.

If, like me, you’ve been blogging for years and writing for most of your life, you’ll find that you already know a lot of the tips here. (The extra ones which you pick up, though, are going to be worth more than the cover price. If I get a handful more readers to my blog as a result of buying the Scorecard – and so make one more ebook sale — then I’ve covered my costs.)

Verdict

The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers is a very handy (and well designed) ebook at a bargain price. It’s one that I’d like to see every blogger own. Whether you know your writing is holding you back, or whether you’re a great writer who doesn’t want to miss out on crucial expert tips, The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers is very much worth your time and money.

(Quick note: I’m proud to be an affiliate for The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers: if you buy the ebook through my links, I get a few dollars, which helps cover the costs of future posts and reviews on Aliventures.)

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